Diane Chin, Associate Dean for Public Service and Public Interest Law, spoke with the Daily Journal's Kevin Lee about how a new grant from the Ford Foundation will create a cohort of future leaders in public interest law.

Stanford University law students seeking to work in public interest law next summer will have an opportunity to earn some money for their good deeds.

The Ford Foundation, a New York-based philanthropic organization, announced last week the creation of a new fellowship program that will pay students to work with social justice organizations in the U.S. and abroad.

Stanford Law School, Harvard Law School, New York Law School and Yale Law School will each receive a portion of $1.75 million to administer 25 fellowships per institution. Stanford Law Associate Dean Diane T. Chin said the four schools were likely selected because of their pre-existing relationships with the Ford Foundation.

...

"Ford made it clear they want to create a cohort of future leaders," said Chin, who is overseeing Stanford's fellowship program. "We're asking students to reflect upon previous examples of leadership and how this fellowship can further develop them into better leaders."

...

Chin said that second-year law students can apply for a fellowship in October while first-year students can apply for remaining, unfilled spots in December. She was hopeful that the Ford Foundation would renew the fellowship program next year.